Composing Music: The Steps Of Creating A Scene In Orphan Black

In this V-log, Trevor Yuile breaks down the steps he took in composing the music for Kendall’s death scene in Orphan Black.

Orphan Black is a Canadian thriller television series created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett and starring Tatiana Maslany.

Some of the key points Trevor considered as he wrote the score are:

1. The music needs to lead the audience to validate how they feel.
2. Trevor did not want the music to detract from the performances.
3. The music had to suck people into the scene.
4. The choices he made were subtle, noting that if you draw attention to the chords or pay attention to the melody you are making the audience focus on the music.
5. The goal is to set an atmosphere for the scene.
6. Don’t ever distract from the dialogue.
7. Use the music to highlight the turn of the scene, there must always be a change in the music at this point.

Don’t be fooled by the title of 5 Minute Friday Tutorial, this episode is 17 minutes long. The best part is that you get to see how the music is stacked against the actual TV scene and it is a great insight into the process of applying music to enhance and underline the actors’ performances.

Other V-Logs on TheatreArtLife:

NoNo On The Go: The Gibbon Experience in Laos

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